Milk-can-loading device.



. No. 69l,825. y l lP acenced Ian.' 28, |902.

F. E. TICHENUB. MILK CAN vLOADING DEVICE.

' (Applicazio'n med June 17, 1901.)

(No Model.)

llllll 1| UNITED STATES PATENT QTTTCE..

FRED E. TICHOR, OF MIIKWONAGQfWISCONSIN.

MiLK-CAN-LOADI'NG DEVICE.l

srncrnrcArrroN fdrming'part-of Letters' Patent No; 691,825, dated January 28,1902.

i 'Application filed J'unel?, 1901. SarialNo. 611,839. l(No niodelJ i :Y n n T0- all whom, it kindy ,convenir/ l Be it known that I, FREIVJ'E.` TICHENOR, a citizen of the Unitedl States, residing at Muk- `wonago, in the countyof Waukesha and State a manner as to effectthe desired result, but I do not wish to have it understood that I am limiting myselfA to the particular form and construction of `theseveral parts shown.

In all countries where milk is handled'in loads, andwhen, the train which is to `convey the milk to market arrives it stands 'upon the track and the cans are lifted or partly thrown from thel platform to the car.; This naturally necessitates the assistance of several persons, for therecan beoue or more persons inside the car, one, or more outside immediately at the car-door, and'one or more back on the platform to bring forward the cans placed farthest from the edge of the platform. Moreover, this operation consumes a good deal of time, and during such time in many countries the car is standing upon the main line, thus preventing its use for other purposes; The milk-trains are proverbially slow because' of the delay incidental to this operation. The cans are of necessity Very strongly made, yet they are soon injured by this operation, for in`- working rapidly the heavy cans are thrown or rolled fromplace to place under conditions which tend to rapidly destroy them.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 isa plan view of the platform and horizontal section of a car. Fig. 2 is a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a cross-section of an enlarged detail. Y

Like parts are indicated by the same letter.

in all the figures.

.A A are the timbers which support the platform B. This platforniis inclined-andicon `nected at its Lipper endwith a horizontal plat'- form C. i i

l D are a nn mberfof; chutes on. the inclined v platform,'formed bythe railsE E, preferablyv T- shaped yin cross-section. i FF are milk- `cans, resting each 'upontw/ov flanges of-such i T-rails.

The chutes are provided where necessary each with an inwardly-curved'end G, 'n whereby the severalphutes are arranged to discharge their cans towardgt he center or middle line of the platform. H H are a series of loops pivoted on'standfards J and one for each chute. A f t 1' The chutes are of varying lengths, asindicated, though the.' precise arrangement of their discharge endsrmay be varied. 4 K is a-hin ged platepivoted at Lto the fixed frame and supported by means of the brackets M 'and adaptedwhen downto rest on the floor of the car N at the open door O. When this hinged plateis not in use, it is turnedv i upward into -the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and here it is preferablyy secured in position, for` example, `by latchhooks P P..

.The use and operation of my invention are r `v asfollows: When the hingedplate is turned up into position, (indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2,) the space, along the'side of the tracks is'clear and the car may pass freely along i such track. Moreover, this hinged plate, if y' properly secured in this position,-eectually prevents the cans from escaping from the platform, even if the securing stop or loop H should happen tobe broken or absent from any given chute. Each chute is preferably provided with such stop or closure at its lower-,end to prevent the escape from it of the cans previously placed in such'chu'te. It would be assumed that the platform isin this position for use, each loop-stop at the end of lthe chutes in position, and the hinged plate these chutes may be greatly varied and the- IOC ordinary means for causing the cans to freely slide down the chutes may be adopted, such as various bearings or rollers or the like and lubricating material; but my invention is disclosed in the inclined chute, for the inclination can be such as to cause the cans to act as indicated without any additional aids. When the car has arrived, it will stop, as heretofore, opposite the platform, the door will be thrown open, and the car-men will unload and drop the hinged plate into the position indicated in the drawings. The car-men can now step out onto the platform-and open some one of the chutes, whereupon the cans in that chute will slide down, free themselves from the chute, and pass into the car across the inclined hinged plate on the middle line thereof. This action could be kept up until all of the cans are in the car, the chutes being closedA as fast as they are emptied. Very littleelfort will be required to start the cans, and once started the momentum of the line of cans will be sufficient to carry them all down into the car.

As previously suggested, the form and construction of these several parts could be greatly altered without departing from the spirit of my invention and many minor details could be added or omitted without affecting the principal claims.

I claiml. In a device for loading milk-cans the combination of a suitable supporting-platform with a series of inclined chutes formed each of inverted-T beams and provided with inwardly inclined or curved ends where necessary so as to cause all of said chutes to discharge toward the line of the middle chute, a stop at the end of each chute and a hinged platform adapted, when in its vertical position, to serve as the stop below all the chutes and when depressed to serve as a continuation of the inclined platform below the chutes.

2. In a device for loading milk-cans into railway-cars the combination of a series of inclined chutes, with an open inclined platform t at the lower end thereof, said chutes opening open platform-space below and about the ends of said chutes, so that each can freely discharge upon the same and stops one for each chute to hold the cans in the same.

4. In a device for loading milk-cans the 5. In a device for loading milk-cans the combination ofa series of inclined chutes each adapted to hold a row of cans, with inwardlyturned lower ends for certain chutes, and an inclined platform having an outer guard so that each of said chutes has a free deliveryway for its cans tothe middle line of said chutes.

6. In a device for loading milk-cans the combination of a series of inclined chutes each adapted to hold a row of cans, with inwardlyturned lower ends for certain chutes, and an inclined platform having an outer guard so that each of said chutes has a free deliveryway for its cans to the middle line of said chutes, the lower portion of said platform boing hinged.

7. In a device for loading milk-cans the combination of a series of inclined chutes each adapted to hold a row of cans, with inwardlyturned lower ends for certain chutes, and an inclined platform having an outer guard so that each of said chutes has a free deliveryway for its cans to the middle line of said chutes, and a separate stop for the discharge end of each chute.

8. In a device for loading milk-cans the combination ofa series of inclined chutes each adapted to hold a row ofcans, with inwardlyturned lower ends for certain chutes, and an inclined platform having an outer guard so that each of said chutes has a free deliveryway for its cans to the middle line of said chutes, and a separate stop for the discharge end of each chute, and the lower portion of said platform hinged.

FRED E. V'IICI'IENOI Witnesses:

HOMER L. KRAFT, FANNY B. FAY. 

